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PI EXCLUSIVE ... WRIGHT LAUNCHES ‘CONSERVATIVE MELTING POT’ PAC: Conservative blogger and PR professional Crystal Wright has formed a new political action committee designed to help make the Republican Party more inclusive. The PAC will support women and candidates of color at the state and federal level, Wright told PI. Obama "bothered to talk to minority groups and women," Wright said. "We haven't bothered. The Republican Party hasn't bothered to really talk to most ethnic groups in 20-plus years."

Wright runs the blog Conservative Black Chick and the PR firm Baker Wright Group, LLC.Wright is joined on the board by American Capitol Group partner Jim Link, accounting veteran Monique Morton and Michael Adams, partner with the law firm of Dinsmore & Shohl LLP. The committee is organized as a traditional PAC, meaning it will have to stay within Federal Election Commission fundraising limits. Wright said she would try to leverage social media connections and in-person events to generate grass-roots interest in her group. The new PAC’s website will be here: www.conservativemeltingpot.com, Wright’s blog is here: http://bit.ly/YeWFZB.

BURKMAN HIRES PALMIERI AS PART OF EXPANSION: JM Burkman & Associates has hired defense lobbyist Ralph Palmieri, Jack Burkman told PI. Palmieri, former COO of Sytex, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, started this week at the firm. “In the defense world, Palmieri is the gold standard,” Burkman said. The firm also recently hired Crowell & Moring’s Mark Busching and signed a slew of new clients.

BONUS: Fun fact about Burkman: He hosts a radio show on Radio America, which starting this Sunday will have a new segment revealing the worst lobbyist of the week.

ENNIS JOINS FP1 STRATEGIES: Former deputy director of operations for the Mitt Romney campaign Jessica Ennis has joined FP1 Strategies LLC, the firm announced Thursday. Ennis will serve as senior vice president.

GOOD THURSDAY AFTERNOON, where it’s been 26 years since the first rap album topped the U.S. charts. The Beastie Boys' “License to Ill” topped the Billboard 200 charts from March 7, 1986, until April 24, 1987. The album included chart-topping singles "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)," “Girls” and “Brass Monkey.” Send your lobbying and campaign finance news, gossip, tips, scoops and best hip-hop trivia to btau@politico.com or apalmer@politico.com. And follow us on Twitter at @ByronTau and @apalmerdc. Tarini is at tparti@politico.com or on Twitter at @tparti.

OFA REVERSES ON CORPORATE $$$: The nonprofit group formed to support President Barack Obama’s agenda will not take corporate money, Chairman Jim Messina announced today in an op-ed. “We have now decided not to accept contributions from corporations, federal lobbyists or foreign donors,” Messina wrote. Messina also vowed to disclose all contributions of more than $250 on a quarterly basis — but did not say whether identifying information such as address, zip code or city would be included. Read Messina’s op-ed here: http://bit.ly/W85Ez7

DOES OFA NEED CORPORATE MONEY ANYWAY? CEOs and other wealthy donors will still be able to give using their personal funds. The nonprofit has already aligned itself with other liberal groups that do take corporate money — Center for American Progress, Business Forward and Enroll America — and it made its opening pitch to donors at a corporate-funded inauguration weekend event sponsored by Business Forward. Open question: Is this a genuine effort to avoid corporate influence or is OFA just steering big corporate donors elsewhere? “We wanted to reflect the views of our grass-roots volunteers and the president's long-standing goal of reducing the influence of special interests over the political process,” an OFA representative told POLITICO’s Reid Epstein.

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LOBBY SHOPS FINDING NEW WAYS TO SERVE CLIENTS: VH Strategies has been sending detailed intelligence memos related to the sequester to its clients to update them on the cuts and their implications. With both sides gridlocked and putting out inaccurate information on the sequester, the firm wanted to provide its clients with original information on the cuts. “The idea came because there were so many divergent news reports,” Bob Van Heuvelen told PI. “It’s useful as part of a planning exercise so you can figure out what your next steps will be.” It’s just another way that firms are trying to be of service to their clients and add extra value.

PROJECTXX LAUNCHES TO SUPPORT PROGRESSIVE WOMEN: A new South Carolina organization ProjectXX has launched to support progressive women running for office in the state. The group — which includes a PAC and a 501(c)(4) arm — was founded by South Carolina fundraiser Ginny Deerin and Nikki Hardin, publisher of Skirt! magazine. "If good women candidates run and if you are very smart and strategic and disciplined and data-oriented and hard-working, I think women can win," Deerin told PI. In the short term, the organization wants more women on state boards and commissions. It also plans to help recruit and support strong female candidates for office. The group's website is here: http://bit.ly/WMUqgL

DLA PIPER FARMS OUT AL JAZEERA WORK: A trio of firms has recently registered to do work for Al Jazeera America Holdings. TCK International, Global Policy Initiatives and the Law Offices of George R. Salem have all signed up to lobby for DLA Piper for its client Al Jazeera. George Salem, Tom Korologos and Jay Footlik all report they are doing "informational communication regarding client's cable television channel."

NONLEADERSHIP DEMS ALSO PONY UP: PI reported yesterday on the breakdown of top House Democratic leaders giving to the DCCC. A tipster points out that Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Henry Cuellar have both ponied up $300,000 in dues.

PODESTA LAUNCHING STRATEGY FIRM: The Podesta Group is launching Global Solutions, a new global strategies and risk management company. The effort will be headed by Arturo Sarukhan, former Mexican ambassador. "Our plan is to reside at the intersection of trade, economics, politics and policy, and to do so by utilizing the latest technologies and strategies available," according to a release. (h/t Playbook)

ELSEWHERE IN THE INFLUENCE WORLD:.Ross Douthat of The New York Times writes about the GOP’s donorism problem. http://nyti.ms/Wvmkmy

The National Republican Senatorial Committee used the filibuster to fundraise, sending supporters messages asking them to make a donation and “Stand With Rand!,” reports Ed O'Keefe of The Washington Post. http://wapo.st/ZhnxZE

More than a dozen lobbying registrations since Election Day have mentioned “cybersecurity,” reports Kevin Bogardus of The Hill. http://bit.ly/XXTwOE

Mike McIntire of The New York Times looks into the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. http://nyti.ms/WMRsst

Canadian governments have launched an intense lobbying campaign in the United States in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline, reports William Marsden of The Star Phoenix. http://bit.ly/W7NTQo

NEW POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REGISTRATIONS: None.

NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS: (Firm: Client) Nada.

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